Thu. 2/2/12 7:02am
atom:
"Zoological data suggest that groundhogs have an average lifespan of ten years in captivity and six years in the wild, with a maximum lifespan of 14 years in captivity documented.[3] Punxsutawney Phil fans say that there is only one Phil (all the other groundhog weathermen are impostors), and that he has made weather prognostications for over 121 years as of 2011. They say that every summer, Phil is given a sip of the mysterious Groundhog Elixir, which magically lengthens his life for seven years. This is done by Inner Circle members.[4] According to the Groundhog Club, Phil, after making the prediction, speaks to the Club President in "Groundhogese", which only the current president can understand, and then his prediction is translated for the entire world."

Thu. 2/2/12 7:03am
Meghan:
groundhog elixir..... now THAT is the fountain of youth!

Thu. 2/2/12 7:04am
T-Zero:
You going to follow this with their Violence of Youth? ;)

Thu. 2/2/12 7:05am
T-Zero:
Or is that the Violence of Truth? I forget.

Thu. 2/2/12 7:08am
Dave B:
In Alaska, February 2 is observed as Marmot Day rather than Groundhog Day because few groundhogs exist in the state. The holiday was created by a bill passed by the Alaska Legislature in 2009 and signed by then-Governor Sarah Palin that year.

Thu. 2/2/12 7:21am
atom:
"Of these 115 predictions on record so far, Punxsutawney Phil has predicted an early spring 15 times (13%). As to his accuracy, according to the StormFax Weather Almanac and records kept since 1887, Phil's predictions have been correct 39% of the time.[7]"

Thu. 2/2/12 7:22am
Caryn:
@atom: yeah, it was a documentary of how a plucky bunch of friends found out the "Great Oz" was a hoax perpetrated by a little dude behind a shower curtain... Who then fled in his hot air balloon, making way for the rightful queen to take her throne back.

Thu. 2/2/12 7:22am
Elwyn:
I hope Phil does a big dump upon being released.

Thu. 2/2/12 7:26am
Caryn:
Davice's question makes me wonder if anyone here has tried those human meat-flavoured hors d'oeuvres? For people who want to find out what human meat tastes like without actually becoming a cannibal.

Thu. 2/2/12 7:27am
Caryn:
Hey, Phil was pissed about being woken up like that, and decided to fuck with the crowd. There's also the possibility of translation error. Honestly, it's noisy there and simultaneous interpretation is a tough job.

Thu. 2/2/12 7:29am
Meghan:
Nathan.... it is Pennsylvania.... so the UK meaning could still be the same there.....

Thu. 2/2/12 7:31am
Meghan:
Davice...... are you suggesting a bribe next year?

Thu. 2/2/12 7:32am
Caryn:
I'm thinking Gobbler's Knob was named by some teenage pilgrim chavs. "Hah, this'll be hilarious!" They then went on to name Climax, Colorado & Intercourse, Pennsylvania. Before finishing up with Wet Beaver Creek (the fishing part of Beaver Creek).

Thu. 2/2/12 7:34am
Meghan:
Pennsylvania actually has some decent stuff.... just stay away from the middle. That part is scary. There is a Frank Lloyd Wright house there.... Philly is nice. I lived outside of Allentown for a bit.....

Thu. 2/2/12 7:34am
Dave B:
From Gobbler's Knob to Intercourse is only a two hour drive

Thu. 2/2/12 7:53am
Caryn:
Interestingly, the wombat is the only marsupial with its pouch the other way around (the opening faces its hind legs, rather than its head). This is because it digs tunnels, and if the opening faced its head, the dirt the wombat pushes behind it while tunneling would just fill up the pouch. Sorry, the hairy-nosed wombat is one of my favourite animals, so I'm filled with useless trivia like that.

Thu. 2/2/12 7:56am
Caryn:
The honey badger and the alpaca have the same favourite attack strategy: bite the testicles!

Thu. 2/2/12 8:01am
pierre:
wait, who's Phil?

Thu. 2/2/12 8:02am
Caryn:
Now I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that the Hollywood studios penchant for sequels doesn't lead to "Groundhog Day 2: Marmot Day". Tagline: "This time, it's a less original idea."

Thu. 2/2/12 8:18am
Meghan:
wait.... he predicts it on whether it is cloudy or not?! animals....

Thu. 2/2/12 8:19am
Nathan:
@Caryn He represents, at the very least, a potentially new tradition... they've gotta start somewhere right?

Thu. 2/2/12 8:19am
Caryn:
@Nathan: aww, it's not like people are kneeling in front of a golden effigy of Phil... And he didn't ask for the gig. Just leave him alone, people! "Leave Britney... I mean, leave Phil alone!!!" Soon to be a youtube wail.

Thu. 2/2/12 8:25am
Caryn:
@Nathan: it's known as "being drunk and chanting anything someone tells you to". You could get a bar to chant "fried rice" if you wanted to, by just rhythmically repeating it a few times.